


Homonculus Roleswap AU Outline

by Jeminy3



Series: AUs and Outlines [6]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Death, Heavy Angst, Heroes to Villains, Other, Role Reversal, Sad Ending, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23884639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeminy3/pseuds/Jeminy3
Summary: A repost to make my AU ideas easier to find and access. This is a general outline of ideas, forever WIP and not going to be a proper fic at any point. Feel free to take inspiration from it, and if you draw/write anything based on it, feel free to link back to this and show me what you made!This was an attempt at fleshing out a old villain/hero swap AU for FMA that I drew a few times. It turned out kind of weird and really depressing. If I ever revisit this, it'll only be for drawings.A major change from my artwork was swapping Ed and Al’s roles as Envy and Gluttony to fit the story better.For reblogs, art and writing on this au,check out the tag on my tumblr blog.Read the Google Doc here.For redbubble products of artwork from this AU,click here.
Series: AUs and Outlines [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1299569
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Homonculus Roleswap AU Outline

2003 universe, in which homonculi are created from attempts to bring people back to life via Human Transmutation. The homonculi and the humans they were based off switch places.

The antagonists:

Dante

Envy Edward

Gluttony Alphonse

Lust Winry

Wrath Hughes

Pride Elicia

03 Greed Ling

03 Sloth Hohenheim

The protagonists:

William Van Hohenheim (Envy)

Human Gluttony

Human Lust

King Bradley and his family, Selim Bradley and Mrs. Bradley

Human Greed

Alchemist Trisha

Side Protags:

Sara and/or Yuriy Rockbell

Lan Fan

Non-Alchemist Izumi and her family, Sig and Rudy (Human 03 Wrath).

ANTAGONISTS

Dante

\- Mostly the same as in canon 03, but semi-functions like Father by having a large foothold in the government through Wrath!Hughes, manipulating the entire country in her lust for power and eternal life.

Envy!Edward

\- the result of Alchemist Trisha attempting to bring back her sons when they died of the Plague as children.

\- Edward is generally more cruel and sadistic. He cares little for his "brother" Alphonse and refuses to take responsibility for him. He's especially sour towards William, the more favored son of Hohenheim, and Trisha, who brought him back to life only to abandon him. He respects Dante's wishes but will ultimately do what he wants if it comes to it.

\- Still has a monstrous form, not sure if it's the 03 dragon or the BH/Manga body horror lizard.

Gluttony!Alphonse

\- Was Edward's younger brother in life, also the result of Trisha's HT.

\- Alphonse is apathetic to everything except his ravenous hunger. If left to his own devices, he'll attempt to kill and eat anything and everything he can get his hands on. He's also impatient and has a short attention span.

\- he attaches himself to Lust!Winry, treating her like a big sister despite her neglect.

Lust!Winry

\- She's generally self-centered and uncaring, desiring attention but giving back nothing.

\- the result of a young Winry Rockbell dying from the Plague. Her mother and father were so stricken with grief that they asked their Alchemist friend Roy on how to perform Alchemy and used HT to try and bring her back. the Rebound left them both gravely injured, and they were forced to retire, moving back in Yuriy's mother, Pinako.

\- She takes Alphonse as her companion mostly at Dante's request so he doesn't get himself into trouble and expose their plans. She cares little for him and often neglects him.

\- During a raid on Lab 3 or 5, she runs into Roy. Roy recognizes her as the Rockbell's daughter and realizes that he's indirectly responsible for her creation and her parents' further suffering, and fights her. But between his guilt over the Rockbells and not being able to kill her, Roy gives up fighting. In desperation, he calls out her real name and pleads with her to remember her life as a human, saying her parents are waiting to see her again. This causes Lust!Winry's memories to resurface, causing her inner conflict, and to stop fighting and flee the scene.

\- She begins to change as she processes the memories of her previous life, and starts wishing to become human and return to her past life. Part of the process has her finding and visiting the Rockbells for a bittersweet reunion. Despite conflicting feelings, she's not hostile and they welcome her as their long-lost daughter. They answer her questions about her previous life, and talk about the nature of her state of being now. She can no longer feel human emotions like love, and so starts her personal ambition to become human again and properly reunite with her family.

Wrath!Hughes

\- Seems to have a light-hearted, goofy personality, but it's merely a facade for his true nature - silently wrathful, terrifyingly focused and unsympathetic.

\- When he was human, he befriended Roy in the Military Academy while he worked to graduate to the top of his class with his high intelligence and cunning. After graduating and moving back to Central (or while he was still in the Academy) he caught the attention of Dante (in whatever young woman's body she was in) who ended up hooking up with him, then killing him and turning him into her most convincing homonculus. With her influence, he worked up the ranks in Central with unusual speed, replacing the previous Fuhrer through probably-devious means.

\- During or after this promotion, he takes a human named Gracia as his girlfriend, then wife, one of the few acts he does independent of Dante's wishes. Dante complies, but later creates Pride!Elicia for them to adopt as their daughter and keep them in check.

\- Fuhrer Hughes begins being more ruthless with the Ishvalan War (also caused by Dante and the homonculi). He reunites with Roy when he applies to become a State Alchemist - Roy is very taken aback at Hughes being the Fuhrer now, and having changed so much.

\- Soon afterward, Hughes gives the Executive Order to send the State Alchemists there. A newly-licensed Flame Alchemist Roy is forced to comply, and ends up deeply traumatized and depressed over what he has to do, and that his former friend is responsible for it. He decides to work to become the next Fuhrer himself, with Riza and Human Bradley's support.

\- After that, he and Roy have a very tenuous relationship. They're still friends to an extent, and both miss the simpler times they had together, but in the realm of politics and morality they are mortal enemies. Roy makes it obvious that he believes what Hughes is doing is wrong and hopes to succeed him, and Hughes makes it (frighteningly) clear that he'll try to stop him. Both know they are doomed to face each other one day.

\- At first Roy thinks Hughes has changed because of corruption in the military. He eventually finds out that the Hughes he knew was murdered, and the one he knows now is a homonculus. He spends some time in denial and questioning whether his goals are worth it. In the end, he decides that for the greater good, he must at least help remove Hughes and the other homonculi from power, no matter what.

Pride!Elicia

\- created by Dante from the remains of a 3-5 year old girl (who probably died from the Plague that killed Ed, Al and Winry) and adopted by Hughes and Gracia. Has the same abilities as Manga/BH Pride, used for surveillance in Central and to keep Hughes, Gracia, and the other homonculi in line.

\- Like canon Pride, she's not close with her "parents" and attaches herself more to Dante, who she sees as her real mother.

\- At one point, Gracia suspects Elicia isn't normal because she's so smart and never ages (and may have seen her Ouroboros tattoo if she has one), but is given the excuse that it's because of a rare disease that's stunting her development. Gracia accepts this and tries to be loving and supportive, making Elicia conflicted over who she considers her mother figure.

03Greed!Ling

\- formed from the Xingese Prince Ling Yao, who came to Amestris looking for the fabled Philosopher's Stone to win him favor in the Xingese court. He's killed either during plot events, or from the Plague. His bodyguards, Lan Fan and Fuu, become desperate enough to seek the services of an Alchemist to help bring him back to life (probably Dante, who also provided Red Stones).

\- Lan Fan and Fuu attempted to get him to resume his quest for the Stone, but having a different personality from Ling, he abandoned them and joined Dante. Then rebelled against her as well, getting him imprisoned in Lab 5 for several years.

\- Lan Fan and Fuu, sworn to their duties, stay in Amestris to find Ling, and go into hiding upon finding him imprisoned in Lab 5. They join up with him after he's free, and function like the canon Devil's Nest gang as Ling's allies.

03Sloth!Hohenheim

\- the result of William's HT. Dante takes him in and eventually plants him as a secretary/assistant for Fuhrer Wrath!Hughes. William tries not to recognize him for a while.

\- He was sort of a flawed/irresponsible man as a human, since he divorced Trisha to be with Dante, but now he's outright apathetic. He denies his memories as a human and wants to cut all ties to his past, to the point that he's not only willing to kill William and Trisha, but his fellow homonculi Edward and Alphonse as well. Dante has to keep him in check from doing that.

PROTAGONISTS

William Van Hohenheim (Envy)

\- Often selfish and hostile, but ultimately dedicated to helping people and doing the right thing.

\- The son of Dante and (Human)Hohenheim in a short-lived affair. Dante (in whatever body she was using) abandoned them when Will was a child, leaving Hohenheim to raise his son alone. He did well enough and tried his best to be open and loving.

\- Part of this involved Hohenheim moving to Resembool and marrying Trisha Elric, a skilled Alchemist. This lasted for almost a decade and resulted in Edward and Alphonse, Will's younger half-brothers. For a time, they were a happy family.

\- Troubles began as Hohenheim and Trisha's relationship eventually broke down and caused them to divorce, and Trisha left to live alone with her sons. Ed and Al were about 7-8 years old, and William was a young teen. Hohenheim was heartbroken, but kept going as well as he could.

\- A few years later, a terrible Plague breaks out in several rural areas (probably caused by a Red Water experiment), causing the deaths of many children and some adults. Hohenheim, in poor health, succumbs to the disease and dies. William, driven to despair by his family falling apart and leaving him alone, uses Trisha's old notes to attempt HT to bring back his father.

\- He loses his arm (and possibly his leg too) from the Rebound. He's rushed to surgery by Human Gluttony and Pinako. Then was later recruited by Roy, becoming the Fullmetal Alchemist. He uses his resources as a State Alchemist to find the fabled Philosopher's Stone and restore his body. He also wants to find his remaining family members and somehow reunite them.

\- When he encounters Envy!Ed and Gluttony!Al, he eventually recognizes them as his half-brothers and is appropriately horrified. He passes this on to Trisha later, prompting her to get involved.

\- When he encounters Sloth!Hohenheim, he willfully ignores it, not wanting to believe it. Gluttony's the one who keeps fretting over it.

\- When he discovers that Dante is behind everything, he's appropriately angry and eager to defeat her.

Human Gluttony

\- Will's automail mechanic and travelling companion. He's a friend of Hohenheim and Pinako, and looks after William as sort of a nephew. He travels with William on his quest for the Philosopher's stone so he can repair his automail on the fly.

\- He has a nervous disposition and is sort of a coward. He dislikes fighting, but will throw a few punches and body slams if he needs to.

\- He eventually settles in Rush Valley to hone his craft and train under Garfiel.

Ishvalan Lust

\- becomes Will's ally and travelling companion in the wake of Scar's arrival.

\- She was the girlfriend of Scar's brother, and was escorted to safety in the wake of the Ishvalan war while Scar's brother stayed behind to help fight and/or protect his research. He passed his research to Scar before dying during an attack from Kimblee, eventually launching Scar's revenge campaign. She came back to her home in ruins, her family, friends and lover killed, and her lover's brother missing. She grieved for a long time, wandering from town to town.

\- Years later, she catches wind of an Ishvalan stranger murdering State Alchemists with a touch of his hand, and recognizes it as part of [Scar's brother]'s research. She packs up and travels to Central just in time to stop Scar from murdering a boy Alchemist by reminding him of his name, who she is, and Scar's brother. Probably also threatens him with a gun she swiped at some point. Scar loses his nerve, thinking that she was dead all this time, and flees.

\- Later she learns that the boy Alchemist is named William and is on a quest for the Philosopher's Stone to restore his body. She decides to travel with him in hopes of running into Scar again and reason with him.

\- She conflicts with Scar over the plan to make a Philosopher's Stone in Reole/Liore, but probably ends up helping him against Will's wishes. But Scar doesn't lose his arms or die, and by sacrificing a large chunk of the Amestrian military they create a powerful Stone to fight the Homonculi with.

+Either Will or Trisha uses it to fight in the final conflicts. Maybe both, passing it between them after Will gets over his hangups.

King Bradley and family

\- A warm, loving family who offer needed sanctuary to William and his allies when needed.

\- Bradley is kindly man and a friend of Roy from the Ishvalan War who also wants to see Amestris changed for the better.

\- Bradley functions like canon Hughes, a Major/Lt. Colonel working in Central's investigations who helps Roy and William find out the extent of the enemy they're facing.

\- When attempting to find out where Sloth!Hohenheim came from, he's ambushed and murdered by the homonculi, kicking off plot events.

Human Greed

\- A gang leader from Dublith who becomes involved after hearing rumors about the Philosopher's Stone granting eternal life, wanting to claim it for himself. After initial disagreements and misunderstanding, he and his Devil's Nest Gang (may or may not still be chimeras) become strong allies for William and the others.

\- Semi-functions like canon Ling, but probably doesn't fight so much as offers protection for Will and co. at several points through his bar and underground connections.

Alchemist Trisha Elric

\- Functions as a combination of canon Izumi and Hohenheim.

\- A skilled Alchemist, ex-wife of Hohenheim, and Will's stepmother. She divorced Hohenheim for various reasons, leaving her to raise their two sons, Ed and Al, alone until they died of the Plague when they were 10-11 years old.

\- In desperation, she attempted HT to bring her children back to life, losing parts of her organs in the Rebound. Sickly and infertile, she abandoned her creations and became a listless wanderer.

\- When she eventually reunites with Will years later, she's very disappointed in him for attempting HT. But is ultimately sympathetic, especially upon finding out that he was trying to bring back Hohenheim.

\- Her and Will's relationship is strained, as Will resents her for leaving and for never coming back to him for help after his half-brothers died (she was probably too stubborn and conflicted).

\- Upon finding out that two of the homonculi look like her sons, she finally gets involved in order face them and atone for her mistakes. Working together with Will starts to rebuild their relationship.

SIDE PROTAGS

Rudy (Human 03 Wrath) and family

\- Bratty, but a good kid who means well.

\- Is probably the Tringham Brothers equivalent, stealing William's identity to work in Xenotime. Will fights him and attempts to expose him, but ultimately helps him take down Mugear and encourages him to go back to his family and learn to use Alchemy better.

\- Later, they meet again in Dublith, introducing Will to his mother and father, Izumi and Sig. They become friends, and Rudy admires him and hopes to become just as good, if not better, at Alchemy than him.

\- Later, he arrives in Central to help in the final struggle.

Lan Fan

\- detailed later.

Sara and/or Yuriy Rockbell

\- detailed earlier.

ENDINGS

+I'm not bothering with The Other World and CoS, so most people are just gonna die in sad ways.

The homonculi's dysfunction as a team grows worse over time, until by the final conflict, half of them are working mostly independently of each other or are actively sabotaging each other. Meanwhile, the protagonists have worked through their dysfunctions to band together.

\- there's also threat of war from Drachma to the north or something

\- Early on, 03Greed!Ling is betrayed by Kimblee, and in the ensuing struggles, Fuu dies and Lan Fan loses her arm (if she didn't already lose it to performing the HT that brought Ling back). Then Dante sets up Greed!Ling to be trapped and killed by William, revealing the method to kill a homonculus via their human remains.

\- Soon afterward, William is attacked by a despairing Lan Fan, but she quickly loses her will and begs him to kill her, having lost everything worth living for. Refusing to kill another person, Will instead convinces her to rebuild her life on her own terms, find something else to live for. He also recommends her to Gluttony in Rush Valley to get a new automail arm. She takes his advice, and is later escorted to Rush Valley and protected from authorities via Human Greed and the Devil's Nest gang.

\- At some point, someone (Probably Sloth!Hohenheim) robs the Rockbells' house in order to obtain Winry's remains. They're used to immobilize Lust!Winry, allowing William to escape at a point. Her loyalty to Dante is questioned, but she's given a second chance via helping Ed kill William. Instead, she turns on Ed and forms an alliance with William on the condition that he make her human again, and will tell him the identity of her master. In the ensuing struggle, Ed uses the trap they set up against them, using Winry's remains to immobilize and kill her for her betrayal. With her dying words, she regrets not being able to reunite with her family as a human and feel their love again. She asks Ed if he remembers his own family, and why he doesn't seem to care. This disturbs Ed and he withdraws, allowing William to escape again.

\- Gluttony!Al is driven to despair when he eventually learns of the death of Winry, so Dante erases the last of his humanity and turns him into a mindless killing machine. Later, he ends up killing and eating her.

\- In the final struggles, Lan Fan arrives with a new automail arm in time to help, escorted by the Devil's Nest gang.

Rudy helps William and co. reach the underground city to confront Dante. Pride!Elicia shows up to stop them, so Rudy and Lan Fan fight her to distract her. Rudy lectures her on what a real mother and family is like and she begins to realize that she's nothing more than a tool to Dante. Her human remains are lost so she can't be killed, but is repeatedly destroyed to the point that she can only regenerate into a small fetus. She's later given to Gracia, who raises her lovingly from then on.

\- William, Trisha and other protagonists face off with Dante and the homonculi in the final battle underground.

\- Eventually Dante gives the order to flee, but Envy!Ed disobeys to go after William again. Instead he ends up facing Trisha, who he also hates, and blindly charges at her. She traps him using his human remains and, unexpectedly, with help from Sloth!Hohenheim. She kills him, and he cries and calls her 'Mom' in his last words. Trisha apologizes for what she's done and promises to see him again soon.

\- Mistaking Hohenheim's help for him coming to his senses, Trisha lets him lead her to where Dante fled earlier. She finds Dante killed by a mindless Alphonse, and uses his human remains to kill him as well, also with Hohenheim's help.

\- Trisha thanks Hohenheim for his help, but then he turns on her next. He calls her the last tie to his past that must be broken, and attempts to choke/drown her. Will arrives just in time to save her and fights Hohenheim, with help from Trisha's Alchemy. He uses his remains to trap and kill Hohenheim, turning him into vapor.

\- Then Will comforts a dying Trisha, who's suffered injuries from all the fighting and over-exerted her weak body. She says her goodbyes, apologizes for not being a better mother to him, and succumbs to her wounds.

\- Above ground, Scar, Human Lust, and their Ishvalan/Reole allies have started an uprising with help from Roy and his squadron, (and the Stone they created in Reole if Trisha and William aren't using it).

Wrath!Hughes insists on fighting Roy alone, and they face off in his estate. He's killed with indirect help from Gracia, like 03 Selim. As he lays dying, Hughes admits that he was secretly hoping things would turn out this way, knowing that Roy would do the right thing and be strong enough to destroy him and set his soul free. He says to tell Gracia he loved her, and tells Roy he's sorry.

EPILOGUE:

\- William suffers from the various horrors he's seen and participated in, and survivor's guilt from being the last living member of his family now. He considers his victory a hollow one.

He meets up with Lan Fan later, and she gives him the advice he gave her - keep fighting to find something else to live for. He thanks her and takes it to heart, soldiering on for the sake of his family's memory and his friends and countrymen. He becomes a prolific Alchemy researcher.

\- Rudy becomes his apprentice, and travels with him on research trips. Lan Fan joins them as well, acting as their unofficial bodyguard.

\- Roy is put on trial for murdering the Fuhrer, but is discharged from the military and exiled instead of executed for helping to de-escalate the potential war with Drachma, and his help in defeating the homonculi. He lives alone in the mountains, but is often visited by his Squadron, William and other friends.

\- Human Gluttony opens his own automail shop in Rush Valley and has a successful business.

\- Scar and Human Lust go back to Ishval to help in the rebuilding effort. The Stone made at Reole is either destroyed, hidden away or used to help rebuild.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Homunculus Swap AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161854) by [1nkmistress_1ra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/1nkmistress_1ra/pseuds/1nkmistress_1ra)




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